Latest news with #OrleansJusticeCenter
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested in connection with fatal New Orleans hit-and-run
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A man was arrested on Wednesday, July 30, in connection with a fatal hit and run investigation in New Orleans. According to the New Orleans Police Department, 20-year-old Dyllan Parr of Slidell turned himself in to the NOPD with his attorney. He was booked into the Orleans Justice Center. Boater found stuck in St. Tammany Parish marsh by deputies rescued Parr accused of being involved in a two-vehicle crash on July 27 near the Read Boulevard exit on I-10 Eastbound that left the driver of a Mazda 626 dead. NOPD said investigators believe the driver of the Mazda, a 53-year-old woman, was possibly stopped in the roadway or experiencing trouble when the driver of a Mercedes Benz allegedly rear-ended the Mazda and crashed into a concrete guardrail. The driver is accused of then fleeing on foot. Parr faces a charge of hit-and-run with serious injury or Posts New Orleans at-large candidates debate worker rights, city issues at forum Summer storms come back on Friday Favorite FQ restaurant may be forced to close Eastbank uses monster comeback to beat Mississippi in LLBWS Southwest Regional opener New Louisiana license plates showcasing the arts now available Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
Antoine Massey captured after New Orleans jailbreak
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — 33-year-old Antoine Massey has been captured after 10 people escaped from the Orleans Justice Center over a month prior, on May 16. Confirmation of Massey's capture was provided by the U.S. Marshal's Office, with the inmate reportedly being found on Stroelitz Street in the Hollygrove neighborhood thanks to a tip that came from Crimestoppers. Officials with the Louisiana State Police say he will be taken to a correctional facility outside of the area. At the time of the escape he was facing charges of domestic abuse battery involving strangulation, theft of a motor vehicle and parole violation. More charges may follow his arrest. Convent man facing life sentence in 2021 fatal shooting case Homeland Security, the New Orleans Police Department, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana State Police, US Marshalls and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office were all involved in the arrest. More details are expected to be provided by the NOPD in a 5:30 p.m. news conference, to be live streamed in this story. With Massey's capture, only one alleged escapee, Derrick Groves, remains on the run. Prior to the latest capture, it had been over a full month since another inmate, Lenton Vanburen, was taken into custody. This story will be updated as more information becomes trend already identified among 'Generation Beta' babies, BabyCenter claims Eight people shot within nine hours in New Orleans Two dead in Lower Ninth Ward homicide investigation Boil water advisory issued in New Orleans after 30″ main break How do the chemicals in sunscreen protect our skin from damage? Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Orleans Prison Escapee Claims His Innocence, Pleads For Help From Donald Trump, Meek Mill
A man claiming to be Antoine Massey, one of the 10 inmates who escaped the Orleans Justice Center (OJC) last month, has made a public plea proclaiming his innocence and called for high-profile assistance from President Donald Trump and rapper Meek Mill. While authorities maintain Massey was one of several prisoners who fled through a hole behind a toilet in their cell—leaving behind the taunt 'To Easy LoL' scrawled on the wall—Massey tells a different story. In a video circulating on social media, Massey directly addresses the circumstances surrounding his escape and ongoing legal battle, denying that he broke out of jail. 'They say that I broke out,' Massey said. 'I didn't break out. I was let out.' The footage shows Massey holding up what he claims is signed documentation from the alleged victim in his domestic abuse case, which he argues supports his innocence. 'If you was an innocent person,' he said, 'why would you stay in jail?' Massey, now a fugitive alongside fellow escapee Derrick Groves, was being held on charges of vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation at the time of the escape. According to CNN, his criminal history includes previous jailbreaks at ages 15 and 27, and reports from law enforcement indicate he has repeatedly tampered with or removed court-ordered GPS monitoring devices. Despite this, Massey is appealing for support from influential figures, including former U.S. President Donald Trump and rapper-turned-justice-reform-advocate Meek Mill. Both have previously weighed in on criminal justice reform, and Massey appears to be banking on their voices to help shine a light on what he insists is a miscarriage of justice. Authorities, however, are not convinced. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office released a statement urging Massey to surrender. 'If the individual depicted in the video is indeed Antoine Massey, we strongly urge him to come forward and turn himself in to the proper authorities,' the statement said. 'Cooperating with law enforcement is in his best interest and may help avoid additional charges. It is important that justice is served appropriately and that due process is followed.' Eight of the 10 inmates have since been captured, while Massey and Groves remain at large. More than a dozen people have been arrested for aiding the fugitives with food, transportation, money, and shelter. A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of either man. Massey's plea, while unconventional, underscores ongoing tensions between the criminal justice system and those who feel failed by it. Whether his call for help will be answered—and whether he will surrender—remains to be seen. See Antione Massey's alleged video here. More from Donald Trump Did Not "Free" Larry Hoover, Contrary To Popular Belief Roots Picnic 2025 Lineup Includes Maxwell, GloRilla, Jeezy, Lenny Kravitz, And More Meek Mill Reveals The "Craziest" Experience He's Had While At A Diddy Party
The Independent
31-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Family and friends of escaped New Orleans inmates arrested for aiding in jail breakout
A group of New Orleans inmates who broke out two weeks ago have received help from friends and family who provided food, cash, transport and shelter according to court documents. In the early morning hours of May 16, 10 inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center by derailing a cell door, pulling a toilet off its mounting and squeezing through an opening in the wall. Records show how some of the fugitives received aid before and after their escape — including from a number of people named in police reports but not yet facing charges. One former jail employee is accused of driving escapee Lenton Vanburen to a relative's home and helping him FaceTime family the day of the escape. Another friend later offered him a vacant apartment to hide inside. Police officials add many others sent money via apps, lied to authorities during interrogation and messaged or called the fugitives. Some are now held on bonds $1 million or higher and most face the felony charge of accessory after the fact. With eight of the 10 men now captured, authorities are continuing to hunt down convicted murderer Derrick Groves and Antoine Massey, who faces kidnapping and rape charges. Authorities on Thursday raised the reward to $50,000 per fugitive and stressed that friends and family are key to capturing the two remaining escapees. 'We understand that some of you might be reporting a friend, a loved one, a relative and albeit not easy, it is critical to your safety and the safety of the public that you report them,' Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of FBI New Orleans, said Thursday. Former jail employee appears linked to escape After the audacious escape in the early hours of May 16, a woman who police described as 'associated' with Groves 'picked up' and transported escapee Vanburen to a relative's residence, the documents show. She then video-called Vanburen's sisters, who came to meet him. This woman — who has not been charged with aiding in the escape — shares the same name as a former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee, according to court records. In 2023, that employee was arrested for bringing a folding knife and a bag of Cheetos containing tobacco and marijuana into the jail. The charges were dropped in part due to the woman's lack of criminal history and she 'successfully completed' a pretrial diversion program, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's office told The Associated Press. The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office did not respond to request for comment. In a text message to an AP reporter, the woman denied bringing in contraband or aiding fugitives. Separately, authorities arrested a jail plumber they say helped the men escape, but his attorney maintains he was just trying to unclog a toilet. Phone records aid in arrests Several escapees, including Massey, relied on internet phone services to communicate with accomplices and 'avoid detection" by not leaving a trail of cellular signals, police reports say. Escapee Corey Boyd used an internet phone service to message several contacts seeking money and access to their iCloud accounts, threatening to kill one person if they did not comply, court records show. The FBI reviewed months of calls from Boyd's 'top caller' while incarcerated. They then found a brief call from a new phone number the night after the escape and used that to help track down Boyd. They discovered that Boyd's aunt was messaging him on Instagram to help him get food as hid in the apartment where a SWAT team captured him May 20. A victim of abuse arrested as accomplice One of the women accused of helping Massey suffered from years of physical abuse from him, court records show. The woman, who had previously filed a protective order against Massey after he attempted to strangle her, was aware of his planned escape and later misled authorities, police say. She exchanged messages with Massey's 31-year-old sister saying they hoped he "never gets caught." Authorities staked out the New Orleans home of Massey's sister but a search six days after the escape turned up empty-handed. Police learned Massey had been inside the home before the raid and altered and deleted evidence on his sister's phone. Court records show police accuse Massey's sister of lying to them, slowing down the manhunt and forcing them to lose 'critical days and hours' in the search. Authorities appeal to public for help At least seven of the people facing felony charges for aiding the fugitives have ties to Lenton Vanburen, Jr. according to authorities. After alerting two of his sisters by prison phone in the hours before his escape, he instructed they contact 'my girl' and provide her with a 'clean phone' so the two could communicate. The woman identified by police as Vanburen's love interest told The Associated Press she never received the phone and denied involvement in the escape plans. Vanburen's sisters met up with him the night of his escape at a family member's residence where he was able to shower, change clothes and was given toiletries. Another family member later reportedly took him to a relative's home in Mississippi. Vanburen was ultimately captured in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday and two men arrested this week were accused of helping him find shelter in a hotel — paid for in cash — and an apartment undergoing renovation. The Baton Rouge court system had no record of their legal representation. In another case, a 59-year-old Louisiana woman is accused of sending cash to fugitive Jermaine Donald, a family friend, according to her attorney. Lindsey Hortenstine, communications director for the Orleans Parish Public Defenders' office, said that most of the people arrested in connection with helping the fugitives have not yet secured attorneys. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Colonel Robert Hodges said tips from friends and family remain essential to locating the remaining fugitives. 'They're tired, they're looking over their shoulder, looking for resources,' Hodges said. 'I think the advantage goes to law enforcement and we need the public's help to ensure that we keep that advantage.'
CBS News
30-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Cash reward hiked to $50,000 as manhunt continues for 2 New Orleans jail escapees still at large
New Orleans — As the search continues for the last two New Orleans jail escapees who are still at large, several agencies have pitched in to increase the cash reward for information leading to their arrests. The reward has been hiked to $50,000 per escapee, authorities announced Thursday, a hefty increase from the $20,000 amount that had been in place for more than a week following the brazen May 16 escape of 10 inmates from the Orleans Justice Center. Eight of the 10 have been captured. One of the men still at large — Derrick Groves — was convicted of murder for the shooting deaths of Jamar Robinson and Byron Jackson in 2024. The other escapee — Antoine Massey — was being held on charges of domestic abuse involving strangulation prior to the jailbreak. Remaining 2 fugitives may have escaped Louisiana, official says Louisiana State Police Col. Robert Hodges said in a news conference Thursday that while he does not believe Groves or Massey have the resources to flee the U.S., they may have escaped Louisiana thanks to the help from other potential accomplices, and given the amount of time that has passed. Hodges also said Massey and Groves may have also had time to change their appearance, but that time has likely taken a toll on them, adding, "they are tired, they are running out of resources." Officials hold a news conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 29, 2025, to provide updates on the investigation into the escape of 10 inmates from a New Orleans jail on May 16, 2025. CBS News Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill had told CBS News in an interview Wednesday that the two may be in other cities. "They can keep running, but they can't hide forever," Murrill said. Authorities said even some family members of the 10 escapees have called in with tips to help track down the escapees. "Some of you might be reporting a friend, a loved one, a relative," said Jonathan Tapp, special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office, during the news conference. "It might not be easy." Hodges dismissed concerns flagged by some members of the public that family members of the escapees could try and take advantage of the reward system to split the money with the inmates themselves. He commended those family members who he said have called in helpful tips. Authorities have received more than 700 tips According to Darlene Cusanza, head of the nonprofit Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans office, three tipsters so far are set to receive awards for their help in arresting three of the fugitives and some alleged accomplices. One person has already been paid at least $10,000, and two more people are set to be paid soon, Cusanza said at the news conference. More than 700 tips from the public have poured in since the May 16 escape, Cusanza said, and the Crimestoppers office has had to open up four more phone lines to accommodate all of the calls they are receiving. So far, at least 14 people have been arrested on allegations they helped the inmates either before or after the escape, including one employee of the jail. From top left, DKenan Dennis, Gary Price, Robert Moody, Kendell Myles and Corey Boyd are seen in a combination of photos provided by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office. From bottom left, Lenton VanBuren, Jermaine Donald, Antoine Massey, Derrick Groves and Leo Tate are seen. Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office via AP Investigation ongoing into how escape was carried out Authorities said that in the early morning hours of May 16, the 10 inmates broke out of the New Orleans jail by ripping a toilet from the wall of a jail cell to which they were not assigned, cutting steel bars, and digging out a hole in the wall behind the toilet. The men allegedly crawled out of the hole to a loading dock, scaled an exterior concrete wall of the jail complex and darted across a freeway to freedom. Outside the Orleans Justice Center jail on May 29, 2025. Ten inmates escaped from the jail on May 16. CBS News The men even took the time to write taunting messages on the wall of the cell before they made a run for it, including, "we innocent," and another misspelled, "to easy LOL." Jail staff didn't notice the inmates were gone for more than seven hours, and it took a few more hours after that for the public to be notified. Even New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said that, on the morning of the escape, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson didn't notify her about what had occurred until after she saw media reports online during a meeting with other managers in her department. "We're all sitting here, and (a staff member) said, 'Have you heard anything about an escape?'," Kirkpatrick recalled in an interview with CBS News. "We were like, 'No we don't know anything about escape.' And then one of the other chiefs picked up his phone and said, 'It's already in the media.'" The Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office has faced sharp criticism for its handling of the investigation into how the escape occurred. Hutson has alleged that for years she had been asking the city for funding to make critical upgrades to the correctional facility, but that she had been turned down repeatedly. A 33-year-old maintenance worker at the jail has been arrested and charged with helping the inmates escape, and Murrill has said more employee arrests could be coming. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams says his office is combing through jail call logs and cross-referencing fingerprints and DNA samples to ascertain who else working at the jail may have been involved. The Louisiana Attorney General's Office is now leading the investigation into failures at the facility that allowed the escape to happen in the first place. The Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office has also been a part of that investigation. "There's so much that's been troubling," Williams said in an interview with CBS News Monday. "Everything's on the table. I think an unprecedented crisis like this, has unprecedented results." Meanwhile, officials with the U.S. Marshals Service, the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department said Thursday they remain laser-focused on getting Massey and Groves back in cuffs. As Kirkpatrick put it in her interview with CBS News, "I'm not out to finger point. I'm out with a mission."
